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Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy

In this seminar, co-authors Professor Schlozman, Professor Verba
and Dean Brady will discuss The Unheavenly Chorus, the first book
to look at the political participation of individual citizens
alongside the political advocacy of thousands of organized
interests--membership associations such as unions, professional
associations, trade associations, and citizens groups, as well as
organizations like corporations, hospitals, and universities.
Drawing on numerous in-depth surveys of members of the public as
well as the largest database of interest organizations ever
created--representing more than 35,000 organizations over a 25-year
period--they conclusively demonstrate that American democracy is
marred by deeply ingrained and persistent class-based political
inequality. They argue that the well educated and affluent are
active in many ways to make their voices heard, while the less
advantaged are not. They reveal how the political voices of
organized interests are even less representative than those of
individuals, how political advantage is handed down across
generations, how recruitment to political activity perpetuates and
exaggerates existing biases, how political voice on the Internet
replicates these inequalities--and more. The Unheavenly Chorus
recently won two 2012 "Prose Awards" for professional and scholarly
excellence given by the Association of American Publishers. The
book was awarded honors in the field of government and politics and
honors for the best book in social sciences.